Music Boxes
by zombifiedZOMBIE
Summary: She was just another ankle biter to begin with. There was nothing special about her; she wasn't a Guardian or a spirit. But now that the world is in danger again, she is forced into a battle that isn't her own. Everyone is convinced she has a gift that could save them all, but does she really? Or is she just a normal human being?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone! So just a quick note, listen to the Davy Jones Music Box song while reading**

**R&R and I'll love you forever. **

It started with a music box. Nothing extravagant, nothing one would call precious or priceless. It was simply a music box made of wood. It was designed to look like a cabinet, with two drawers on its lower half and if one of those drawers happened to be opened the melody would begin. This melody gave of a feeling of great relaxation to the listener and would often lull them to sleep; at least that was what happened to me.

The box had landed in my possession when I was about 5 or 6 years of age. I remember the exact moment that I held it in my hands; it was Easter Sunday, and that previous night I had lost my first tooth. The sun had yet to rise in the morning air but my father allowed me to get up early as a "congratulations for losing your first tooth" kind of event. Even though it was still early I had already eaten all the chocolate and found all the eggs that were hidden around my father's apartment. After that, we headed back to bed for some much needed sleep.

Soon my father was deep in his subconscious but I was still wide awake. I found myself staring at my open closet when I noticed glimmer of pink that wasn't there the night before. At this time, my father, stepmother and I had to share a room due to the size of the apartment so I had to be silent if I wanted to get to our closet. Quickly, I crawled out of my bed and tiptoed across my floor, struggling not to make a sound. Luckily no one stirred and I was able to make it to the closet.

The pink object was near the back behind a few boxes, and being my size I was able to grab it easily. I was not expecting it to be so heavy, and nearly dropped it but managed to regain my grasp at the last moment. Pulling it onto my lap I saw that it was a simple pink bag with a matching tag. The object inside the bag was covered by white tissue paper which I eagerly removed.

And there it was. It was so plain, dull even. Simply a wooden music box with little metal handles. I opened its two cabinet-like doors to reveal a red velvet interior. There were places where one could store various types of jewellery and even a rotating hanger for necklaces. My child mind was spinning with excitement and wonder. The two drawers on the lower half caught my attention and without thinking I pulled one open. That's when the tinkling melody began, it was like a whisper. Still, I was terrified that my father would awaken from the sound but, as I slammed the drawer shut and shifted my eyes in his direction, there was nothing.

My hand grazed the bag ever so slightly, and I looked down to see that the tag had writing on it. _It's probably just from Dad_, I thought. Taking a closer look at it I realized that was not the case.

"Love from, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy."

The next thing I remember was waking up in my bed, cradling the music box in my arms. My father said he found me asleep in the closet and blamed my sleepwalking problem.

"Where did you find that?" he asked, motioning to the box. Not wanting to get in trouble for snooping around, I thought up the best lie I could.

"I…guess I found it while sleepwalking."

"Odd, I've never seen it before.. Maybe the previous owners left it."

He smiled at me, kissed my forehead and left.

Many years passed and even at the age of 19, I still believed in the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy. The music box had long disappeared; I had cleaned out my room numerous times and must have put it in storage. Another music box had come into my hands though, this one being from the movie "Anastasia". Its melody was that of "Once Upon a December" and I would constantly wind it up just to help me sleep. This one was given to me at Christmas when I was 7, in a bag like the one from Easter but green. The tag read;

"Love, Santa."

Those music boxes were my prized possessions, and even though the Anastasia one is old and the melody is warped, I still need it to have a perfect night's sleep.

But even during one of those nights, I managed to wake up with a start. I didn't have a nightmare, I didn't need a glass of water and I most certainly was not sleepwalking. So what woke me up? For a moment there was nothing but silence, but as I continued to lay in the dark I began to hear a noise. It was almost like a whisper, it was such a familiar noise. It took me a moment to realize that it was a melody… The melody from my very first music box. Confused, I started to make my way out of my bed to find the source of the noise; but as my feet touched the ground, I heard heavy footsteps down my hallway.

They stopped at my door.


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N: Hello again! I'll be trying to write a chapter a day, I know the first one was a bit short… I promise I'll make the next ones longer. The main character will be elaborated on in this chapter; I'm kinda just going along with it and getting to know her at the same pace as you guys (which is something I haven't done before). R&R and enjoy!**

The footsteps stopped at my door with a final _thud._ I dropped to my stomach and tried to peer under the door to try to get a glimpse at whoever (or whatever) was in my house. There was nothing but dull darkness, even though there was a nightlight in the hallway. Whatever it was seemed to be big enough to block all light from entering my room.

Slowly, I got back up on my feet and walked backwards to my bed. Part of me was terrified (and rightfully so) but the other part – the child-like part- was still curious as to who it could be. That part beckoned me to open the door and let the stranger in. I almost scoffed at my own stupidity. Sometimes I hated the innocence in my head; it was almost like it was another being inside me, wanting to come out and play. Now was not the time for "her" (or "it") to make a grand appearance and convince me to go over and welcome the being into my room.

Crawling back onto my bed, I pulled the covers over me and burrowed into them. I thought it would keep me safe from whatever was out there, I suppose part of my innocence managed to break through.

_It's all a dream,_ I thought to myself, _that's all it is, a dream. Wake up._

_Wake up._

That was when the music box melody stopped, and a heavy knocking sound vibrated through my room. Time seemed to stop, along with my heart. The knocking came again, seemingly louder than before. I let out a yelp and plunged myself deeper into my tangle of blankets. Everyone secretly believes that the monsters couldn't abduct you if you were completely hidden from view, and I was no different. Somehow I thought I would be protected from the beast now knocking on my door.

Although I couldn't see what was happening, I was still able to hear my door slowly swing open and footsteps sneaking across the hardwood floor. It didn't sound like shoes or any sort of human foot. It was almost a soft sound, as if the beings feet were covered with a soft padding. Although the steps themselves were soft, the feet were still heavy enough that it could be audible from the basement of my home.

I remained silent, and did not breathe for what seemed like hours. Finally my lungs started to burn and I started coughing like a mad man. The being let out a startled cry and I heard it fall to the floor. Finally! I had an opening! I could make a run for it.

Letting out a fierce shriek I jumped out of my bed and started to run. But before I could even make it half way I tripped and landed directly on top of something soft and warm.

"Crikey.." a deep voice murmured. I felt something shift underneath me and my heart started to pound harder than it already was. I had successfully managed to fall on top of the thing that I was trying to run from.

_Don't look don't look don't look. Just get up, and RUN._

I kept trying to pull myself to my feet but couldn't. My innocent side was screaming at me to turn my head and look at the beast. That's when I gave in, hell I didn't even put up much of a fight. My innocence took hold of my better judgment and smashed it into nothing. And I just looked at the creature underneath me.

My violet eyes were met with ones of emerald; they were filled with fear and confusion mixed with a bit of pain. Pushing myself up, I was able to get a better look at my "guest". The darkness didn't allow me to see too many details but it seemed to be covered in light grey-blue fur, but its face and torso were white. A brown leather holster was slung across its chest and on its arms seemed to be bracers of the same material. I couldn't get a good look at its face, only the emerald shimmer of its eyes stood out.

"Hey there lil' ankle biter." it said in a strong Australian accent. I pushed myself off of it and scurried across the floor to my lamp. The creature groaned from the sudden bright light. Now I could see what exactly had wandered into my house.

I gasped. The creature stood and I was floored by his immense height. He was about 6 feet tall, and he was a bunny rabbit. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but… it all seemed so familiar. He smiled a cheeky little grin that showed off his buck teeth.

"Who.. who are you?" I asked, my voice shaking violently, "And how in the world did you get in here?!"

The rabbit chuckled and hopped off the ground onto my dresser, perching himself comfortably.

"You know who I am, Sweet Pea. I can promise you that. As for how I got in here, well let's just say I know how to use chimneys."

Sweet Pea? Chimneys? That accent… It was all so familiar. He hopped down from my dresser and reached for something on the floor. Cradling it in his hands he walked towards me slowly, as if any sudden movement would chase me away. He handed me a wooden object, and my jaw dropped. It was my first music box. I eagerly pulled open the drawer and the melody that had lulled me to sleep all those years ago began to play for me once again.

"I thought I had put this in storage, but I didn't know for sure. Part of me thought I had lost it." I mumbled, holding the box close to me. All the memories came rushing back; playing with my jewelry I had stored in the box, cuddling with my stuffed rabbit toy as I lay in bed listening to the melody, playing out in the garden with….

"…Bunnymund.."

The realization hit me, all these years I believed in him but I had forgotten about the days he spent with me. I had forgotten that he actually existed and was not just a fable I chose to believe.

"Told ya. I knew you'd remember." he chuckled, "C'mon darling we have to go."

"Go where?"

He smiled and looked away; he seemed to be thinking of something.

"I'll tell ya when we get there."

He held out his paw for me to take, which I grabbed without even thinking. My innocence was having a field day, but it wasn't really bothering me. After all, I DID just figure out that the Easter Bunny is a living, breathing person so it only made sense for me to act like a little kid. He didn't seem to mind either.

He dragged me out of my home into the front lawn. The moonlight shining on him made his fur almost glow. I stared at him in awe; he really was a beautiful creature. I noticed some strange floral markings on his fur which almost resembled tribal tattoos. They traveled up his arms and across his forehead. There were also some markings on his legs, but I couldn't make out if they were the same designs.

"What are those?" I asked.

He raised his eyebrows at me and I motioned to his arms and forehead.

"Oh. Nothing special. Us Pookas are born with them. Kinda like birth marks."

Bunnymund tapped his foot on the ground and the grass fell away into a giant hole. I peered over the edge to see a tunnel of dirt that was so long that I couldn't see the end. All I could see at the "end" was black.

"C'mon, hop on." Bunnymund motioned to his back. I hesitated. "You won't be able to make it there without me so hop on."

Still hesitating, I climbed onto his back and held on for dear life. He was much taller than I was so it was like he was giving a child a piggy back. I tightened my grip around him as he stood next to the edge of the tunnel.

"What about my house? I've got cats to feed, y'know!" I exclaimed, secretly hoping he would let me go.

"Don't worry about that Sweet Pea; I've got it figured out. Now, no matter what don't let go."

And with that, he jumped into the tunnel.

The first few moments were pitch black, but holes started to appear in the tunnel and light began to pour in. The tunnel was covered in moss and flowers; I swear I could even hear birds singing. Bunnymund was dashing through the tunnel at incredible speed that it almost was hard to breath.

"Alright, it's about to get very cold so hold on tighter."

We sprung out of the tunnel not even a millisecond later and instantly I was engulfed in freezing air and roaring winds. I had never felt anything so cold, and I buried my face into Bunnymunds fur to keep my face from turning to ice. After what seemed like hours of walking, I got the courage to look at my surroundings.

Everything was covered in a deep layer of snow. It was so bright that it almost blinded me. Even Bunnymund had to shield his eyes from the light. After my eyes got used to the light, I noticed a castle a few hundred feet away. It was a bright red colour and was half buried in the snow. Bunny took my hand and started to walk towards it.

"Why couldn't you just make a tunnel INSIDE there instead of out here where it's freezing?" I practically yelled over the howling winds.

"It's tradition! Everyone who comes here for the first time has to see it from the outside."

"What exactly is 'it'? It just looks like ruins."

Bunnymund abruptly stopped walking and gave me a look of pure shock.

"Ooooh, you'll probably be on the Naughty list for that one."

He walked off, leaving me to stare up at the castle.

_You've got to be kidding me, _I thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N: Hey! Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I'm so excited for the next chapter you guys don't even understand. R&R please!**

By the time we approached the castle doors my clothes and hair were littered with icicles, and Bunnymunds fur was frozen in place. He had only complained once about how his feet and paws were frozen, which I found interesting considering he often had a bit of a temper from what I could remember. My hands were clutching his arm in an effort to share what warmth was still circulating in our bodies. A gust of chilling polar wind rattled through my bones and I scooted closer to him as we walked up to a pair of massive furry creatures that blocked our way inside. These creatures were like apes, with fur that transitioned from brown to white down their bodies. Both of them had ponytails and long white mustaches and eyebrows. From what information I had, I concluded that they must be a type of Yeti.

"Hey Phil." Bunnymund nodded to the one on the left. The creature (Phil, apparently) nodded his head in return and motioned for the other one to open the doors. As they slowly began to swing inward, Bunnymund nodded once more to the Yeti and lead me inside.

The interior of the building was the most enchanting thing I have ever laid eyes on. The walls, floor and ceiling were all different mixtures and designs of red, black and gold. Hundreds of stained glass windows allowed the building to be illuminated with different colours, adding to its sense of wonder and enchantment. What awed me the most was the amount of toys that filled the area. Some were flying around on their own; others had Yetis tinkering with them. The toys that were being built had an ice replica of their design which the Yetis were discussing and studying. Bunnymund explained that it was their form of a blueprint for the toys.

The place was also occupied by small little pointed-eared creatures dressed in full body suits complete with a pointed hat. The hats had little jingle bells on the end of them, making noises when the creatures walked. A few of them started walking beside Bunnymund and I, chattering curiously to one another and stealing glances at us.

"What are they talking about?" I asked him, my voice hushed so the little ones wouldn't notice I was talking about them.

Bunnymund smiled.

"Elves rarely see a human, ESPECIALLY in this setting. C'mon, people are expecting you."

He started to quickly lead me across the building to a giant golden staircase. It was decorated with holly and mistletoe; and the steps were covered in a green velvet carpet. I had a sense of who was "expecting me" and it made my nerves go haywire. I squeezed Bunnymunds arm harder as he lead me up the stairs.

We finally entered a circular platform that had a giant globe placed in the center. Across different parts of the globe were little lights, some areas had more lights than others. Studying the lights, I noticed that some of them faded and some more appeared. I reminded myself to ask Bunnymund about it at a different time.

Bunnymund smiled and removed my hands from his arm, which were still partially frozen. He struggled for a moment but with a bit of tugging from my end, we were able to tear my hands away. I rubbed my hands together to thaw them only to notice that bits of his fur were stuck to my skin.

"Ew gross." I exclaimed in disgust. Bunnymund glanced over at me and laughed.

"That's your own fault. Now come on, let me do the talking."

He hopped over to the back of the room and I followed behind, my eyes on the ground due to nerves. My heart began to pound harder with each passing second, the suspense was torture. After being lost in my anxiety for a few moments, a loud Russian voice boomed and I came back to reality.

"Ah, Bunnymund! Wonderful to see you, old friend!"

My eyes shot up to the source of the voice and my jaw nearly hit the floor. In front of me stood 3 men and a woman, all human-like but I knew they were not normal beings.

The man with the loud voice was basically a giant. He had a long with beard, dark eyebrows and twinkling eyes. He wore large blue pants held up with a colourful sash and sported a red sweater. His arms were crossed and showed off a tattoo on each arm, "Naughty" and "Nice. The tattoos gave it away, I knew it was him. Santa Claus.

"North." Bunny greeted, as he put his hand on my back and pushed me forward. Before I could react, two powerful arms pulled me into a bear hug and lifted me into the air.

"Ohohohoo! Look how big you are! No longer little girl!" North pulled me away from him and looked in my eyes, while still suspending me in the air. "You remember me, yes?"

"Uh…uh yeah of course I do." North laughed and pulled me back into a hug.

My mind was spinning; I couldn't even begin to comprehend what was happening. It was all so… wonderful. North gave me one final squeeze before setting me down on the ground again. I tried to walk but ended up just staggering like I was drunk.

A teenaged boy who was seated on the floor next to North started to laugh. Jumping to his feet, he came over and trying to stop me from falling and making a fool of myself. The boy put his hands on my shoulders and I was able to get a clear look at his face. He was extremely pale, almost albino, as he also had pure white hair. His eyes were an icy blue that shined in the light and gleamed with mischievousness.

"How's it going little one?"

Memories of him and I crashed like a tidal wave into my brain; the endless snowball fights, him making frost designs on my window to cheer me up when I was sad, bringing me snow days…endless days of joy. When Bunnymund wasn't there to keep an eye on me the boy, Jack Frost, would help me cause chaos to get on his nerves. I grinned at him, a gesture in which he returned. Bunnymund must have noticed because he let out an audible groan.

"Alright, Frostbite. You've had your fun. Go away." Bunny growled.

Jack's grin simply grew and he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. Bunny grabbed his boomerangs from his back and wielded them.

"Aww c'mon, I haven't seen her in years. Don't be like that." Jack pouted.

"Mate, I'm not warning you again."

"I'm not afraid of you, kangaroo."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?"

"Kangaroo. That..IS what you are, right?"

"Look mate, we've been through this before. I'm a rabbit and you're an annoying little snowflake."

"At least I wasn't a little baby bunny for portion of my life."

"I will hurt you."

"I'll freeze your ears off."

"Try it, kid. I dare you."

"Oh don't tempt me, I ju-"

Suddenly a blast of gold shot through the air and hit both Jack and Bunny in the face. Both of them fell to the ground in an instant, and began to snore. Little golden carrots floated around Bunnys head and snowflakes danced around Jacks; they seemed to take notice of each other and started battling. I found it mesmerizing and turned to see the man who had conducted such a spell.

Just as I thought, it was a tiny man made of golden sand. He smiled sweetly and waved at me with his tiny fingers. My cheeks hurt from the giant smile that I had formed on my face.

"You were the one who chased the nightmares away."

The Sandman nodded and created a golden sand kitten out of thin air. The kitten glided over to me and pranced around my head. North chuckled and I heard a female voice squeal in delight. A rush of air flew past me and out of nowhere a face popped up a few inches away from mine.

The woman looked like a mixture of a fairy and a hummingbird. She was covered in gorgeous multi-coloured feathers (including her head) and was hovering in the air. Around her flew what seemed like miniature versions of her, all chirping and trilling. A few of them flocked towards me and began to poke at my mouth, causing me to laugh and expose my teeth. The woman grabbed my face.

"Oh my goodness, look at her teeth! Those braces really did you some good huh? I remember when you were just a little girl you always called your canine teeth "vampire fangs". You wouldn't remember that though, huh?"

"I do, you're the Tooth Fairy."

"You recall the music box, don't you?" she grinned. "Girls, leave Jack alone! He's fine!"

A few of the baby fairies were hovering around the sleeping teen and as soon as the Tooth Fairy spoke, they sighed and fluttered away silently.

"Sorry, sweet pea. So…do you recall it?"

I nodded, "You and Bunny gave it to me."

"Do you know why we gave that to you?"

"…Wasn't it Easter? And didn't I lose a tooth around then?"

She giggled, "Well that too."

North chimed in, "Come, come. We will explain. To my study!"

"W-wait!" I knelt down next to the sleeping rabbit and began patting his face. "Don't we need to wake them up first?"

"No time! Must discuss important things with you! Leave them be!" North said before walking out of the room as Tooth followed. Sandman floated over to me and took my hand. Rising to my feet, I took one more look at the slumbering men before letting Sandy lead me out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N. Hey! So, again, sorry for the delay… I've been having some personal issues to attend to. Plus there's a key factor about this story that I need to figure out and its consuming most of my time. HOPEFULLY I'll figure it out soon and have the next chapter up a.s.a.p. R&R my dears!**

North's study was even more enchanting than the workshop. When you entered, the first thing that came into view was a giant window overlooking the North Pole itself. Outside it was snowing, the type of weather that made everything so silent that you could almost hear the snow fall from the sky and land on the ground. The room was constructed out of snow and was held up by oak logs that reached from the floor to the ceiling. It was incredibly warm due to the large fireplace that crackled softly in the room; Sandy even had to make a fan out of sand to cool himself off. A desk lay in the middle of the room and placed upon it was an ice roller coaster contraption with a train gliding across its tracks. The train departed and flew around the room, causing North to giggle like a school boy. He sat down in the armchair that was sitting next to the desk.

"Now, my myshka, I understand you must me a _teeny_ bit confused as to why Bunny brought you to North Pole. Sit down, make yourself comfortable."

I looked around for a place to settle myself and noticed a red plaid chesterfield resting up against the wall across from North. Sandy hopped onto it like a small child and patted the space next to him, gesturing me to sit next to him. I hesitated for a moment, my social anxiety tended to flare up at random moments but the Sandman's kind smile was irresistible, meaning I had no choice but take his offer. He offered the other seat to Tooth, but she merely giggled and declined.

After we were comfortable, North cleared his throat loudly and snapped his fingers. Two elves ran into the room with a tray of cookies, their little hats jingling furiously as they scrambled across the floor. Both of them struggled to lift the tray up to North and were relieved when he took it out of their hands.

"Thank you. Now shoo." He waved them away then held the tray out to us to offer us some of the cookies, Tooth and I politely took one each and Sandy scooped up four or five in his little fingers. North chuckled softly and took a cookie for himself. Taking a bite out of it, he leaned forward towards us.

"So you still have the music boxes, yes?"

"Yes." I answered, biting my cookie. Gingersnaps. My favourite.

"Good. Are they still close by you?"

"Uhm.. well the one Tooth and Bunny gave me had been in storage I believe, so it wasn't at the time he came and got me. I heard it playing while he was coming to my room, and he brought it with him."

Tooth sighed, "That's probably what took him so long. I was worried that something happened on his way there."

"Myshka, you must be more careful." the giant man scolded, shaking his finger at me. Careful for what? No one was making any sense. Were the music boxes important in some way?

"Poor Bunnymund must have been terrified. I KNEW we should have sent Jack with him."

Sandman nodded in agreement and started to emit sand images in an effort to speak. His method didn't help either. North must have noticed the deeply confused look on my face because he gave me a small wink.

"Alright alright, let us get on with it. We do not have much time, y'know." he said.

"Time for what?" I questioned.

The room fell silent for a moment, the crackling fire becoming one of the loudest noises I have ever heard. I looked at each of my companions and saw a dull glow of worry glaze over their eyes. Tooth landed on her feet and stared at the ground.

"The children need help. They need YOUR help." she explained, her voice almost like a mouse's squeak.

"Wha..What do you mean? I'm just a regular girl. YOU'RE the Guardians, so why can't you help them? Why do you need me?"

I felt a small hand tap my shoulder. I turned to face Sandy, who created an image of two small children playing then pointed to my heart.

Tooth played with her fingers nervously. "You possess something that we don't, something that makes you more powerful than any of us."

"And what might that be?"

North rose from his seat and walked over to a large oak bookcase in the corner of the room. He rummaged through countless little trinkets and toys until he came across what seemed to be a small glass object on a black ribbon. He held it delicately in his fingers as he brought it over to me. Placing it around my neck, I saw that it seemed to be a heart shaped locket. It was cold to the touch, meaning that it was not glass but in fact ice. It must have been one of North's creations. Due to the ice being almost transparent, I noticed something mechanical inside the locket. Opening the locket I was surprised to find that there was a cylinder music box (one that is literally cylinder shaped, and as it rotates its notes are struck by a metal strand to create music) placed inside. The melody began; it was the same as the one in the music box North gave to me; "Once Upon a December".

"Innocence, myshka. You are the oldest believer, meaning you have a child-like innocence residing in your soul. Each Guardian has a center that is important for protecting the children; I am wonder, Tooth is memories, Sandy is dreams, Jack is fun and Bunny is hope. But you protect the most important aspect of children. They would not be who they are if it weren't for your center."

I closed the locket and ran my fingers over it, trying to concentrate on what North was saying to me. My heart would not stop pounding. Everything that I questioned about my child-like part of me was beginning to make sense.

"It almost seems like there's another person inside me." I explained.

Tooth gasped with excitement and her wings began to flutter furiously. "Do you think it could be her soul in her next life? Is that even possible?"

North raised in eyebrows in consideration. "Maybe, maybe. Perhaps we consult Man in Moon?"

_Another one? How many of these fairy tales are real?_ I wondered, and decided it would be a good idea to ask. But before I could open my mouth I was pulled from my seat by North's powerful hand and ushered out of the room.

We returned to the globe room where Bunny and Jack were still soundly asleep on the ground, Jack's head was now placed on Bunny's stomach. There was a small group of elves and Yetis near them that were chattering and chuckling at the sight. Even Tooth began to giggle uncontrollably and had to cover her mouth with her hands. North snapped his fingers once again and a pair of Yetis approached the sleeping men. They picked up one each in their arms like ragdolls and removed them from the room.

"How long does your dream sand usually last?" I asked Sandman, surprised that neither of them awoke despite the rough way they were handled. Sandy shrugged and the number 3 appeared on top of his head, I assumed he meant 3 hours. He mimed the fact that he had used a lot of sand in this particular case. His eyes then went wide and jerked to the skylight in the roof. His little fingers pointed to the sky, I glanced up and saw just the plain old moon.

"Am I supposed to see something?" I asked, looking back down at him. Sandy just pointed again.

"Man in Moon! How are you, my friend?" North looked up at the moon, his arms open as if he was waiting for an embrace. A foreign sound that I can't describe then vibrated throughout the room.

"Yes, this is her. She's grown much since we've last seen her. Don't you agree?"

The sound was heard once again, this time louder and fiercer. Everyone gasped and stared at me in awe, and I stared back in honest confusion. Tooth came over to me and placed her hands on my shoulders. She stared me straight in the eyes and smiled sweetly, her perfect teeth shining in the light.

"He wants to talk to you privately! That's quite an honor!"

I simply nodded. There was nothing else I could say to that, this whole situation was simply unbelievable. She and the others began to depart and soon left North as my only company.

"Tooth is right, it is an honor to speak with him in private." he stated, walking up and standing next to me. I took a deep breath and rubbed my hands together out of nervousness. He laughed softly and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Do not worry. You are in good hands."

As he began to walk away, I spun around to face him. "North!" I called, my voice wavering from anxiety. He stopped walking and looked back at me. Recalling the question of the music boxes I had earlier, I reached for the locket around my neck and gripped it in my hand, the coldness of the ice starting to calm my nerves. I was surprised that it still hadn't begun to melt, but I was happy to still have it in my possession.

"Why music boxes?"

The giant man simply shrugged. "How do you think we keep tabs on the children?"

"What?"

North turned and walked away. "Listen to Manny, he will answer questions." he called to me before completely exiting the room.

I was finally in complete silence. Glancing up at the sky, I saw that the moon seemed to have grown in size. Blue light started to beam down at me; the hue of it was so intense that the room seemed to disappear. Staring into the blue light was almost painful, but something persuaded me to keep on looking. After a moment, a dark blue figure appeared in front of me, only slightly taller than Sandy. He spoke in a light, velvety voice.

"Hello, dear. My name is Tsar Lunar or, the Man in the Moon. Come, walk with me, there is much I need to tell you."


	5. Chapter 5

**A.N I'm baaaaaack :) I'm so sorry for the delay, I'll try to speed things up for you guys. 3**

Tsar Lunar was quite a classy little man. He was dressed in a blue suit and tie, with dark blue dress shoes to match. His pure white hair was slicked back on his head and on his face was a trimmed goatee and mustache. The most striking thing about him was his eyes. They had a very light grey base and were speckled with dark grey. His eyes looked just like the full moon on a winter night.

The small man took my hand in his and began to lead me around the room. He stopped when we were up close to North's Globe, still bright and glowing with twinkling lights. Some faded in and out, others disappeared completely. There were a few, however, that bore such and intense light that it was almost blinding. I wondered what those lights meant to the Guardians, especially North. As if he could read my mind, Tsar spoke.

"Each one of those lights represents a child. If a light goes out, that means that child no longer believes in us. But, even so, it is still our duty to protect them no matter what they choose to believe."

He turned to face me, tilting his head up so he could see my face. The fact that he was so tiny amused me, I couldn't help but smile at him. Our hands were still interlocked and I couldn't help but noticed how fragile his fingers were. They felt like children's hands and yet they were still bigger than mine. He lightly squeezed my hand and smiled sweetly.

"Now, we must discuss why you're here. I know North only got so far with his explanation…"

"Yeah, he said something about needing my help…?"

Tsar nodded his head. Tugging on my hand, we started pacing the room once more. He sighed, as if he was preparing himself for a long speech.

"Well, you know that the classic childhood heroes are in fact real but I bet you didn't know that other fairy-tales have a grain of truth to them as well. Everything from ghosts to fauns exist, but most decide to ignore them… they think it's too unusual to be true. Tell me, have you ever heard the tale of Hansel and Gretel? The one with the witch in the candy house?"

"Yes, I used to hear it all the time as a child." I responded. It took me a minute but suddenly it clicked and my jaw dropped. "They're…real? Is that what you're saying? AND you're saying all the OTHER stories are real too? Like…like…Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland too? Are they real?"

Tsar let out a chuckle that seemed too deep for his body. "Yes, that's what I'm saying. Every single story, every single myth and legend you were told.. It's true. I actually remember Alice mistaking Bunnymund for the White Rabbit once! Poor thing got lost in his Warren…"

My mind began to trail off as he rambled on about Alice and her adventures in the Warren. This was a lot to take in for one day, it was as if Earth was entirely foreign to me. One minute I'm just a normal girl who lived at home with her cats (totally normal) and the next minute I'm talking to the Man in the Moon about fairy tale characters who HAPPEN to be actual people. I started to think about who could be wandering around in the world at this moment. Let's see, I thought, there was Alice and Cinderella (apparently) so that means Mad Hatter and Prince Charming and the Red Queen and- wait… If the Red Queen is real…

"Tsar," I interrupted his babbling, "If all the good characters exist, does that mean the evil ones do as well?"

He stared at me for a moment, his expression growing grim.

"That's why you're here. Hansel and Gretel were…you could say 'agents'… of mine. They were on a mission to apprehend the Candy Witch for luring children away from their homes. They never returned and now more children are going missing. I need the Guardians to go and deal with her, but they'll need help getting the kids back. That's where you come in."

He reached into his suit and began to rummage around. I gawked at him; his suit seemed to be just like Marry Poppins' infinite bag. His face contorted as he struggled to reach whatever he needed.

"I'm just a girl… I'm not even a Guardian! I can't help magical people when I'm just…normal." I explained frantically. I wasn't cut out for this. I couldn't even walk through my house at night without getting scared, how the hell was I going to aid powerful Guardian's against a witch?

"Ah-HA!" Tsar exclaimed as he pulled an object from his suit. He placed it in my hands and took a step back, his face beaming as he did so.

The object was a brown leather cowboy hat. It was faded heavily in some areas, which made me assume it had previous owners. I glanced over at Tsar who motioned for me to place it on my head. I did what he suggested and to my surprise, the hat fit perfectly.

"Uhm..thanks for the hat."

Tsar chuckled, "You're confused, I know. Let me explain. I'm sure you've heard the story of the Pied Piper, right?"

I nodded, running my hands along the hat.

"The Piper, as you know, lured the rats away from his town by the use of his pipe. And when his town refused to pay him, he lured the children away. That hat was his and now it belongs to you."

"I'm not the Pied Piper though… "

"You are. When he died, his soul transferred to you. I know you often wonder if there is another person taking over you when your 'innocence' comes out to play. It's the part of his soul that still wants to be alive. Your locket will serve as your pipe and your hat will let the others know who you are. The Candy Witch is luring children away to be harmed and I need you to lure them back."

My heart was pounding in my chest. Everything made sense and surprisingly it didn't scare me in the slightest. The rational side of me was screaming not to do this, but "Innocence" was prevailing.

Securing the cowboy hat on my head, I bowed to Tsar.

"I'd be honored to help in any way I can."

He grinned. "That's the Piper I remember from long ago. Now, you'll need a companion. Ask Jack to take you to the Black Forest. He can get you there the quickest. Next, keep walking south until there is no longer any light visible. A small hut will appear, go inside and ask for the Rat Vendor. He'll give you what you need. If you call for me, I will be there to assist you. Farewell, Piper."

The room began to fill with blue light once again and in an instant, Tsar was gone. The room filled with normal sunlight once again. I grinned to myself as my fingers traced the rim of my hat.

_I've got to find the others._ I thought. Without wasting another second, I darted out of the room.


End file.
